Amazing! Kansans in race for $1 millionManhattan couple will compete against 10 other teams as "The Amazing Race 9" begins Tuesday.BY BOB CURTRIGHTThe Wichita EagleTwo Kansans from Manhattan will be among 11 teams competing in "The Amazing Race 9" when the popular reality show begins again Tuesday.We'll get to meet David Striker, 30, and Lori Willems, 25, who is originally from Hutchinson, who have been dating for three years and say they want to win the $1 million prize to pay for their wedding.He's a Fed-Ex employee who dreams of eventually making it as a musician, and she's a Pizza Hut assistant manager."They came to us as self-described nerds. And we couldn't disagree," said Bertram van Munster, co-creator, executive producer and director of the show. "But they are an adorable Midwestern couple. They are real people and a terrific team."The couple, who are prohibited by contract from commenting on the show before the results air, are listed as "early outs" on a couple of fan Web sites devoted to the show; one person commented that they "look a little out of shape."But one supporter protested: "Finally! They listened to what we want. Two words: Real people."Striker and Willems will be up against 10 other two-person teams, including two dating couples from Illinois and Arkansas, a retired married couple from Colorado, a young married couple from Mississippi, sisters from Florida and a mother and daughter from Georgia.What makes a good contestant?"We've had all kinds of people, from age 21 to 70. As long as they are in good physical and mental condition, they are eligible," van Munster said in a phone interview. "But we look for pre-existing relationships. That's the key."But long-standing relationship doesn't necessarily mean totally in sync."We've had people who bicker constantly win the race. We've had people who work in complete harmony win. What matters is that they can work together to make last-minute decisions."The teams left from Denver and visited five continents, including stops in Sicily, the Middle East and Moscow. As always, the first team to finish the race won $1 million."The Amazing Race" has won three Emmy Awards in a row -- 2002, 2003 and 2004 -- as best reality show. It's also a ratings champ. What keeps people coming back?"Everybody can identify with it. Everybody has traveled in a car, train or plane with somebody and knows what it's like to make last-minute decisions," van Munster said.If you watch'Amazing Race 9'What: Newest edition of the popular reality game show, this time featuring a couple from Kansas: David Spiker and Lori Willems

“We Won What We Actually Set Out to Do” - An Interview with The Amazing Race 9’s Dave and Lori by Jenn Brasler -- 04/07/2006

The Amazing Race’s beloved Team Frink (right) has been eliminated, but at least we get enough chance to hear their take on things. Read on to find out what kind of Spanish Dave speaks, which teams they hung out with, and the one product they consider the most important thing to take along on the race.

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, Lori and Dave! I have to tell you that everyone here at RNO really loved you and we’re all sad to see you go. Also, we’ve been calling you Frink after Professor Frink on The Simpsons, and I hope you know it’s completely out of love. What made you want to go on the race?

Dave & Lori: We were just huge fans of the race and had been watching for several seasons. It was Lori’s idea and she pushed for it.

RNO: What did you each think you brought to the team?

Dave: I brought the Sesame Street-level Spanish and Lori had the social skills. We just each brought our own personality and our own intellect to different portions on the race.

RNO: Did you pack anything weird or interesting?

Dave & Lori: We packed a pink flamingo and his name is Harold, and he stemmed from themed night back in college. We met on one of those this.

RNO: Did you connect with any other team?

Dave & Lori: We liked all the teams but mainly we were close with Ray and Yolanda on the race. We were able to bond at the pit stops and grew close with Monica and Joseph.

RNO: Who did you think was the team to beat?

Dave & Lori: There are two teams that we thought had a lot of luck and experience, and that was the frat boys and the hippies.

RNO: What were your favorite moments on the race?

Lori: Driving down the Autobahn and doing the test drive with the Mercedes.

Dave: Mine would be doing the helicopter ride over San Paulo.

RNO: How far were you behind Ray and Yolanda? When did you realize you were last?

Dave & Lori: We didn’t see them in front of us and actually didn’t see any other teams that entire day. We also saw all the cars at the water polo challenge and realized that we were the last team. Afterwards, we learned that we were about 15 minutes behind Ray and Yolanda.

RNO: What will you take away from the experience?

Dave: We won what we actually set out to do, which was to win a place on the show and actually make it far into the race, allowing us to travel to so many great places. We enjoyed meeting and interacting with the locals in each of the places we visited and were impressed with their willingness to help. Finally, our relationships that we formed with the other teams are something that we will treasure.

RNO: If you could do anything differently, what would it be? What would you change knowing what you know now?

Dave & Lori: Ditch the backpack at home and just bring Chapstick.

RNO: What would you like to tell people?

Dave & Lori: It was so worth trying out. If you have any inkling whatsoever to try out, do it. We feel like we won even though we didn’t place first just by being able to participate. Thanks for being our fans and watching, and nerds rule!

Yaaay Dave n' Lori, one of my favorite teams! I thought they would make it further & so sorry they didn't. :-\ They're such a sweet, loving, respectful couple...and I wish them many blessings in whatever they pursue. Buh-bye sweetie Nerds.

She's his "hottie boombody with the naughty pilates" and he's her own personal music man. Meet Lori and Dave, aka the lovable nerds from Kansas who smooched their way around the world — but didn't get to embrace victory — on CBS' The Amazing Race (Wednesdays at 8 pm/ET). TVGuide.com: So it wasn't your day in Siracusa.Lori: No, it was not, but we ran a really good leg.Dave: We just didn't get there fast enough.

TVGuide.com: A lot of teams got lost in Italy. How'd you do?Dave: We weren't that lost. Lori: We were just exhausted and had a hard time staying awake. We switched drivers three times on our way to Catania, so that put us behind. And it was such a short leg that there was no way for us to catch up.

TVGuide.com: Dave, you seemed a little bit freaked out during the statue challenge. You even got curt with Lori.Lori: We were getting frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to put the damn statue together! [Laughs] Nobody could give me hints, and I just kept putting it together the same way because there was no other way to do it. Dave: She didn't put it together wrong. At that point we had had very little to eat and very little sleep. We didn't have the mental energy to tell ourselves, "Hey, they could be fooling us here."

TVGuide.com: Why didn't you go look at the other completed statues?Dave: I was confined to an area by [production] staff.Lori: And by the time I had gotten it together the first time, it was getting dark. All you have is a light in your face from the cameras, so I couldn't even look at the other statues to see if there were extra pieces.

TVGuide.com: You mentioned you were hungry. What would you eat on any given race day?Dave: You get up at 4 in the morning and rush to the airport to get a good ticket. Once you get on the airplane, you have the free Cinnabon and half a pop, and you just run your ass off the rest of the day.Lori: Our strategy was to not waste money on food. [Plus] you don't have time, because it's a race. You eat whatever's available to you when you get a chance to sit. Dave: You notice McDonald's a lot when your hungry.

TVGuide.com: You saw McDonald's?Lori: In Russia, the cabdriver took us through the entire city and we saw every McDonald's. Although we didn't stop, we saw every McDonald's.

TVGuide.com: Not to sound like your grandmother or anything, but when are you two going to get married?Dave: [Laughs]Lori: "To be announced." We have no plans yet. I have not been proposed to, so I can't say.

TVGuide.com: Ah, pressure! So how did you meet?Lori: Mutual friends. We were friends for about six months before I planted a kiss on him one night. It snowballed from there.

TVGuide.com: I think you said "I love you" more than any other couple. Are you always so openly affectionate?Dave: It's important to be that way. That was one of our mechanisms to make things less stressful — reminding ourselves that we do have a relationship and we are into each other.Lori: It's funny to hear people talk about how they played us up as kissing our way through the first leg. Some [friends] said they've never seen us kiss; others said they've seen it a lot. In public, normally we aren't all over each other.Dave: We weren't all over each other.

TVGuide.com: Which Amazing Race team are you rooting for?Lori: Ray-Ray and Yo-Yo.Dave: We're kind of paired with them. We're both couples getting ready to start a career and looking forward to getting married and living together. Ray's a musician, I'm a musician.... They're such sweethearts.

TVGuide.com: Dave, what kind of music do you play?Lori: He plays the guitar, drums, organ, piano.... He likes a lot [of music styles].Dave: I've been in a ska band for 10 years now, and an alt-country band for three years. I have a solo spacey-ambient rock project. Primarily I'm a songwriter, and I try to play as many instruments as I can to be as self-sufficient as I can.Lori: He's the lead singer in a couple of the groups.

TVGuide.com: Aw, golden opportunity missed. When you sing, you've got to sing to your girl on camera.Dave: Yeah. [Laughs] You don't know how many times they tried to get me to sing little songs about what was going on. Also, they tried to get us to say, "We're not in Kansas anymore." We're proud to be from Kansas, but if people always think it's Hicksville, it's never going to progress culturally.

Nice interviews and articles. Dave and Lori were a sweet team. They definitely treated each other with respect. That is how it is suppose to be. I felt bad for Dave when he was upset about getting mad at Lori. They make a great couple and I am sure this is just the start of more adventures for them.

Dave n' Lori were absolutely one of the most refreshing couples on TAR! It was obvious they cared for and respected each other a lot. I thought they'd make it to the final 2 or 3 b/c they worked together so well and were physically fit. Sorry it didn't work out for them. :-\